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Our current democracies are failing and are unrepairable. We need to move past western democracy as the way to organize societies of the 21st century.
This essay provides a possible structure for a city of 100,000 people, using the principles of Tiered Democratic Governance (TDG).
Here is how I see this city’s elected side of the TDG might evolve into.
The Citizens
The bottom segment of the above graphic is the 100,000 citizens in this city. These citizens will be grouped into units of about 200 residents, with geographical features and major streets defining the boundaries. Residents in the neighborhood should have a reasonable opportunity to personally know other people in the neighborhood.
Hopefully there is a convenient meeting place in each neighborhood. One important meeting will the election of the neighborhood representative.
The Neighborhood Representatives
Every year, citizens in each neighborhood will vote for someone in their neighborhood to represent them in the TDG.
The neighbors will know something about other neighbors. So there is no need for political parties or campaigns in these elections. And the TDG culture will shun those neighbors who are campaigning or associated with a certain faction.
Voters will be reminded to vote for someone of good character and capacity for governance. But each voter defines the criteria for him- or herself, then casts a vote to the neighbor that best exemplifies those criteria.
The local TDG constitution will provide the rules for the neighborhood elections. Many TDGs will use plurality voting, with voters writing the name of their preferred candidate on a blank ballot. After the poll closes, the votes are counted. The neighbor with the most votes serves for one year as neighborhood representative.
With 200 residents per neighborhood, this city will have 500 neighborhoods — and 500 neighborhood representatives.
The main job of a neighborhood representative is to have little chats with the neighbors, getting a feel for how TDG governance is working for them. If there is a pattern of discontent, the representative should bring this up to the district meeting — and see what other neighborhood representatives are saying.
Each neighborhood representative should also host a town hall meeting once or twice a year, inviting neighbors to come to discuss governance. And there should be some socialization, maybe with a local artisan or two providing some entertainment.
Each neighborhood representative should be invited to sit on one city committee of their choosing, like policing or road repair. They should have a vote on committee decisions.
Duties of a neighborhood representative will be about 20 hours a month. There might be a small per-diem payment for formal meetings, but this job will be mostly voluntary.
The District Representatives
About five to 15 adjacent neighborhoods will form a district. The neighborhood representatives in each district should meet monthly to discuss affairs of governance. The Council may assign jurisdiction over certain issues to the district.
Once a year, the neighborhood representatives in this district will elect, from amongst themselves, their district representative. Again, reminders about good character and capacity for governance should be part of the election. Again, no political parties or campaigns: any neighborhood representative displaying these traits should not be voted for.
The district voting will be easier to conduct than the neighborhood elections as there will be only neighborhood representatives voting. Neighborhood representatives write down the name of their preferred co-representative on a ballot. It should take only 15 minutes to conduct this election.
There will be about 60 district representatives in the city. Now the TDG duties get more serious. District representatives are still neighborhood representatives. The 60 district representatives should meet quarterly. Plus each district representative should sit on two to five committees of the city, learning about and deliberating on the various parts of city governance. If they are called into the Council, they will already be partially trained for that job.
I estimate the duties of the district representative will be about 50 hours a month. I hope that employers of these 60 representatives somehow accommodate their TDG work.
At this level of political commitment, I believe many district representatives will have a flair for TDG service. They will happily put in those 50 hours; TDG service will be their “recreation.” Those district representatives who are unable or unwilling to attend these meetings are likely to be replaced in the next annual election.
The Council
And the top group in the above graphic are the Council. These 10 members constitute the final decision maker of the city.
The Council will set up the committees. One Council member will sit on each of these committees. The Council will review the committees’ findings and recommendations. The Council can decide against a committee recommendation, but this unitary feature of TDG governance should be used sparingly.
Once a year, the district representatives will convene to elect, from amongst themselves, the 10 members who will sit on the Council. This election will be more complex. The 60 district representatives will get a ballot with the 60 names. Each representative will check off up to 10 names to indicate their preferences for the Council. The 10 district representatives who get the most votes are the Council for the next year. However, there could be some constitutional provision to ensure all parts of the city are represented in Council.
In essence, the Council is elected via a third-tier indirect election. The reason for indirect election is for voters to personally know something about the people they are voting for. They get this knowledge by working with possible contenders, not by a party election machine.
I estimate Council members will require 80 hours a month for their service. If the TDG evolves to include provincial and federal responsibilities, Council members will have a full-time job.
Now this is just my vision. This hypothetical city may design itself differently. I can see this city functioning well with two tiers. Or maybe four tiers. Maybe eight Council members are enough. Maybe 75 districts would be better. How this final structure evolves will depend on the geography and demographics of the city as well as the early TDG development.
The first two stages of TDG development (Early and Middle TDG) won’t have actual societal governance to consume its energy. So the TDG can experiment with different models — and it should have a good working model before it moves into the realm of societal governance (Maturing TDG and TDG-in-waiting).
The Advisory Board
The advisory board is a crucial part of a well-functioning TDG. Its primary purpose is to provide the elected side of the TDG with perspectives that will enhance their decision-making.
Think of a discussion that seems to be going nowhere. Then someone has a little quip that helps the discussion move in a better direction. Sometimes groups need a wise, outside voice to help the group realize its potential.
The advisory board puts that outside source of wisdom into the TDG. In my vision, each elected body will be assigned an advisor. That advisor has a standing invitation to attend all that body’s meetings.
The advisor may speak at these meetings. He/she might even express a preference for a certain alternative. However, the advisor has no vote and no veto. The elected members are obligated to listen carefully to what their advisor is saying, but they need not obey.
The graphic below shows the structure of the advisory board:
Where do the advisors come from?
The Council will appoint the advisors to the top advisory tier. The advisors in this tier should have served on the elected side of the TDG. Having actual elected-side TDG experience will help them perform well as advisors.
Here’s where the top elected tier can find the advisors for the top advisory tier:
· It can appoint a Council member.
· It can appoint an elected member from the second elected tier.
· It can appoint an advisor from the second advisory tier.
· It can appoint a long-serving representative who is no longer elected, bringing that TDG experience back into the TDG.
I recommend three such advisors and that the terms of these appointments should be for three years. For the top advisory tier, this means one appointment made each year.
After the appointment is made, the elected side has little to do with the operations of the advisory side. The advisory board will have its own meetings and assign advisory responsibilities.
The three members of the top advisory tier will appoint the members of the second advisory tier. Again, the term will be for three years. They will find these people from current and former elected representatives. Or maybe they can move some of the third-tier advisory members into the second tier.
In the third advisory tier, it may not be as important to have actual experience in TDG governance. This level will give more citizens the opportunity to serve in TDG governance. They will be gaining life skills.
Bringing the Two Sides Together
The previous two graphics showed the two sides of the TDGs as separate pieces. Now we put the pieces together:
The arrows on the left positions are gained by an election. The arrows on the right signify an appointment.
Notice how the “neighborhood vote” of the TDG flows in a circle? When neighbors vote for good character and capacity for governance, that vote moves up, around, and down to the third-tier advisor who serves that neighborhood. Such a natural, reinforcing feedback cycle!
Differing Responsibilities
It is important to understand the relationship between the advisors and the elected representatives. Most of the decision making for society comes from the left side. The advisors can advise, but they have no vote or veto in these decisions. In essence, the elected side makes the decisions while the appointed side focuses on the process of making those decisions. There is a unique dynamic between these two sides of the TDG, which we may not yet fully understand.
As such, it is also important to understand that a citizen cannot serve on both sides of the TDG. If an advisor is elected as neighborhood representative, the advisor will choose the elected and advisory positions. If an elected representative is appointed to the advisory side, that representative will choose between the two positions. If he/she decides for the advisory position, he/she must resign the elected position. The TDG constitution should have some clauses that address the movement from one side to the other.
Other variations of this hypothetical TDG
The above example is just my vision for a city I do not know much about. There may be other effective structures.
If the advisory board functions on the basic side, I don’t think this TDG needs three advisory tiers. So I propose this structure:
I suggest three members for the highest advisory tier and 30 advisors in the second tier.
The top advisory board will be making these assignments. The highest advisory tier would send one of its members to Council meetings and some district meetings. The tier would also assign second-tier advisors to the other district meetings and formal meetings of the neighborhoods. Maybe some advisors would be sent to the committee meetings. The elected side has little control over these assignments.
Second tier-advisors would be sending reports to first advisory tier, giving the first tier an update of TDG governance in the city.
I estimate the three members of the highest advisory tier will be spending 25 hours a month on TDG affairs. The 30 members of the secondary advisory tier will be spending 10 hours a month, just attending meetings and offering advice and insights.
Other Possible Duties of the Advisory Board
The above graphic assumes a basic working of the advisory board. The advisory board could assume more responsibilities, which the following article outlines:
The TDG Advisor 3
For example, if the advisory board assumes responsibility for supervising the TDG elections, I would say that it would need a third tier and more advisory positions, going back to my three-advisory tier structure.
There is a benefit to having the non-elected advisory board supervise these elections. Even though the representatives and advisors are connected in the circle, it would be hard for the two sides to exchange favors for individuals to retain their election or appointment. There would not be much conflict of interest — so the TDG elections would be regarded as the “will of the people,” thus legitimizing the people in the higher positions.
The Total TDG
My suggestion of a three-tier elected side and a two-tier advisory side would have 603 citizens in governance, somehow finding the solutions that need to be found. In contrast, a similar sized city in western democracies might have 15 people in the decision-making realm. So which system is more democratic?
Most of the 603 would be in the mostly voluntary roles of neighborhood representatives. They would be getting valuable TDG experience if they ever move up. If they become unelected or unappointed, they would still bring their TDG experience to other aspects of their lives. Most would see their time in the TDG as a positive life experience and would become good TDG spokespeople. And they might even be re-elected or appointed later.
Having more people in TDG governance would bring a happier, contented population. The TDG is a social relief valve, allowing more people to partake in societal decisions.
The TDG and Social Relief Valves
Conclusion
I must stress that this TDG structure is not, by itself, a solution to what ails democracy today. We must develop a new culture. I have alluded to the importance to the education of voters to vote for good character and capacity for governance.
A more important part of this new culture is making consultative decisions. The TDG requires elected representatives, advisors, and citizens to freely express their views — and listen! With such listening, we can find solutions that are eluding us.
I encourage readers to partake in my consultation workshop. The TDG must develop a culture of consultation.
So, yes, we must learn new ways that complement this new electoral structure. The TDG website has many essays on these new ways.
Published on Medium & Substack 2025
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